The Family ~ Stone Soup

One step in the problem-solving process that is often overlooked is that of looking at the necessary resources to implement the solution you have chosen.

In the story, Stone Soup, two soldiers, who have been walking for many miles and who are tired and hungry, come upon a small village.  They are hoping to find someone who will share their bread with hungry strangers.  In that particular village, however, that is not the case.  Rather than sharing their sustenance, they hide it and tell the soldiers that there is not a morsel of bread or a small potato to be had.

The resourceful - if not entirely honest -  soldiers take their large cooking pot to the nearby river and fill it with water.  Then they build a fire and put the pot on to boil.  They choose one large stone from the riverbank, wash it carefully, and place it in the pot.  When a curious villager asks what they are doing, they tell him they are making stone soup.  It is really delicious, they say, but it could use a carrot or two, just for garnish.  The villager rushes to his home and fetches several carrots he has been hiding and then gives them to the soldiers to add to the soup.  Other villagers see what is happening and are excited by the idea of making soup out of stones.  One brings some potatoes, another an onion, another a bit of beef.  Other items make their way into the pot - a cabbage, turnips, and -at the very end - a cup of cream.  Such a soup!  Several of the village housewives bring bread and home-churned butter and the entire village sits down to a sumptuous feast.  And can you imagine, they tell themselves, all made from a stone!  Problem solved. 

The story above was written by Marcia Brown in 1947, but has its origin in folklore from many nations going back hundreds of years.  When you find cross-cultural legends such as this, they usually contain a core truism worth noting.  Stone Soup is often told as a lesson in simple cooperation, but I think it is even deeper than that.  It shows that everyone has an integral part in solving the common problems of hunger, fatigue, warmth, and loneliness.  In the story, these problems arise amongst strangers, but they can exist in our families if we allow them.

When facing a common problem, everyone has a right to be heard; everyone has a right to be valued; and everyone has a responsibility to help according to his or her size, age, and ability.  Once the group has decided what they need to do to solve the problem, they should look at specifics:

• What, exactly, needs to happen to implement the plan?
• What resources - time, money, materials - need to be acquired to do it?
• What specific tasks need to be done?
• What can each member of the family to to implement the plan? 

Assign the tasks in an equitable fashion.  Not only does the job get done more efficiently and effectively, family members feel good about contributing and are more likely to "buy in" to a solution they helped formulate and carry out.

If you are teaching your children, you can contrast the story of Stone Soup with that of The Little Red Hen.  In some versions of the latter, the hen shares with her lazy neighbors, but in the original tale, she doesn't.  I will refrain from the political comment that comes immediately to mind and just say, have fun teaching the process and you'll have success in using it!

Text © 2012 Gebara Education

 

Picture of Stone Soup from the original  bookcover by Macia Brown

Picture of the Little Red Hen and her chicks from www.howthingswork.com